It is important to have a break from caring if you need one. A break can be as simple as a quiet hour, a regular weekly slot, or even a longer holiday. Time away can be crucial to maintaining your own well-being.
Family and friends may be able to help, or having respite care can be explored as part of a carer assessment. Respite care is a terms for services that temporarily replace the care you provide to the person so that you can have a break from caring.
What works best will depend on your circumstances and those of the person you care for and it may be care for the person in their home, them attending a day centre or doing other activities or a short stay in a care home. Where care and support is provided for the cared for person then there may be a charge.
Carers Response Emergency Support Service (CRESS)
Caring Together Warwickshire provides support for planned or urgent breaks for carers if you have an important event, appointment or have to leave your cared for unexpectedly.
The service is called CRESS and advisors at Caring Together Warwickshire can help you.
CRESS is for planned breaks for appointments, significant life events and for carer wellbeing over a short period of time. It covers planned and unexpected breaks with a minimum of 24 hours’ notice. Each carer has a maximum of 36 hours in a given 12-month period.
CRESS is not a substitute for respite or in the longer term. Caring Together Warwickshire can help you plan for other situations and this could include exploring support from family and community networks and support for the cared for. If regular, ongoing support has been identified they will link with council social care staff to arrange this.
If the carer registered with CRESS requires immediate short term/one off support (under 24 hours’ notice) Caring Together Warwickshire can liaise with the council and we will do our best to support the immediate need.
Caring Together Warwickshire take calls from registered carers for emergency support during their office hours Monday to Friday 9am to 6.30 pm and Saturday 9am to 1pm.
For emergencies outside of these opening times or on bank holidays carers are given the contact for our Emergency Duty Team.